The year 1994 is being observed as the International Year of the Family. The United Nations General Assembly, while making the proclamation in December '89, adopted the theme of the Year as "Family: resources and responsibilities in a changing  world".

The objectives of IYF are to stimulate local, national and international actions as part of a sustained  long  term  effort  to:

- increase awareness of family issues among Governments as well as in the private sector.

- strengthen institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies on families.

- undertake to build up various programmes on women, children, youth, the aged and the disabled.

The family is the basic unit of society. Families assume diverse forms and functions from one country to another, and within each national society, expressing the diversity of individual preferences and societal conditions.

In the Indian context, family despite the pressures on it, is a homogeneous unit with a strong coping mechanism. It provides emotional bonding and socialization. A family is, in fact, so entwined that the tree of the family grows into many generations, with the old giving place to the new.

By enriching family life and according the widest possible protection and support to them, families can realize their inherent strengths and fully assume their responsibilities within society, enhancing the development of humankind.

The emblem of the IYF depicts a heart sheltered by a roof symbolising life and love in a home where one finds warmth, caring, security, togetherness, tolerance and acceptance. The open design is meant to indicate continuity with a hint of uncertainty. The brushstroke, with its open line roof, completes an abstract symbol representing the complexity of the family.

The Department of Posts is privileged to  bring  out  a  commemorative  postage stamp to mark the International Year of the Family, 1994. The design of the stamp. is based on the theme and emblem of the IYF.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India